Your Data

Today, electronic records are kept in all the places where you receive healthcare. These NHS Care Services can usually only share information

from your records by letter, email, fax or phone.

eDSM (Enhanced Data Sharing Model)

Today, electronic records are kept in all the places where you receive healthcare. These NHS Care Services can usually only share information

from your records by letter, email, fax or phone

At times, this can slow down your treatment and mean information is hard to access.

Here at Larwood & Village Surgeries, we use a computer system called SystmOne that allows the sharing of full electronic records across different NHS Care Services.

We are telling you about this as you have a choice to make about how we share information about your care from your electronic patient record.

You can choose to share or not to share your electronic GP record with other NHS Care Services.

So, what are the benefits of you sharing your health care record?

Faster access to your medical information

Patient care can be supported by healthcare staff much more easily

You may not be required to repeat information to different NHS staff treating you. For example, healthcare staff who are involved in your care will be able to access your medical history immediately, enabling them to plan your care more efficiently.

We are now moving to an ‘OPT OUT’ model, which means your records will automatically be shared with other healthcare professionals unless you ‘OPT OUT’

This means that your information will be available to healthcare professionals outside the practice that are providing care to you for example Out of hours, district nurses, community matrons.

If you are not in a position to give consent they will make a clinical decision as to whether it is in your best interests for them to access this information.

If any other healthcare professionals feel it appropriate to look at your GP records they should always ask for your consent.

The information they need may be your allergies / sensitivities or your current repeat medications.

For more information about information sharing please pick up a leaflet and consent form from reception.

CARE DATA - HOW INFORMATION ABOUT YOU HELPS US TO PROVIDE BETTER CARE

Confidential information from your medical records can be used by the NHS to improve the services offered so we can provide the best possible care for everyone.

This information along with your postcode and nhs number but not your name are sent to a secure system where it can be linked to other health information. This allows those planning NHS services or carrying out medical research to use information from different parts of the NHS in a way that does not identify you.

YOU HAVE A CHOICE

If you are happy for your information to be used in this way you do not have to do anything. If you have any concerns or wish to prevent this from happening, please speak to practice staff or ask at reception for a copy of the leaflet'How information about you helps us to provide better care'.

This practice is taking part in a new NHS service that helps your family doctor (GP) to identify whether you need more help to manage your health. The service is called "Risk Profiling".

Using information from your health records, a secure NHS computer system will look at any recent treatments you have had in hospital or at this surgery, and any existing health conditions that you have, and alert your doctor to the likelihood of a possible future hospital admission.

The clinical team at the surgery will use the information to help you get early care and treatment where it is needed.

The information will be seen only by qualified health workers involved in your care. NHS security systems will protect your health information and patient confidentiality at all times.

If you don't want your information being used in this way, or have any other concerns, please contact the reception team at your surgery.

How we use your Health Records

Why we collect information about you:

In the National Health Service we aim to provide you with the highest quality of health care. To do this we must keep records about you, your health and the care we have provided or plan to provide to you.

How your records are used:

The people who care for you use your records to:

Provide a good basis for all health decisions made in consultation with you and other health care professionals

Deliver appropriate health care

Make sure your health care is safe and effective, and

Work effectively with others providing you with health care

You have the right to ask for a copy of all records about you (a fee may be charged)

Your request must be made in writing to the organisation holding your information

There may be a charge to have a printed copy of the information held about you

We are required to respond to you within 40 working days

You will need to give adequate information (for example full name, address, date of birth, NHS number etc.)

You will be required to provide ID before any information is released to you

If you think anything is inaccurate or incorrect, please inform the organisation holding your information

We will not share information that identifies you for any reason unless:

You ask us to do so

We ask and you give us specific permission

We have to do this by law

We have special permission for health or research purposes, or

We have special permission because the interests of the public are thought to be of greater importance than your confidentiality—for example, if you had a serious medical condition that may put others you had come into contact with at risk

The NHS is dedicated to protecting your information

In order to provide you with the best possible healthcare, we need to maintain proper records of your health and make sure that this is available to your medical team, wherever and whenever possible. All of our staff are trained in their responsibilities to protect your data and are under legal obligations not to disclose this information to unauthorised bodies or people.

Your medical records are vital

We use your records to help us to give you proper healthcare and advice. We also need records to manage and plan the NHS itself in order to provide proper accounting for the public money we spend and to have the right resources in the right place.

We also use medical records in research to help find cures and treatments for illnesses. This helps us and other research bodies better understand diseases and determine which treatments work best under certain circumstances.

When we use this information we make sure that, wherever possible, we do not use personal details such as your name and address, in order to protect your confidentiality.

When releasing information to researchers, we give them only the minimum data necessary, and all their research is carefully vetted